Jan 31, 2011

Review--Succubus on Top by Richelle Mead

Georgina Kincaid's job sucks. Literally.

Love hurts, and no one knows it better than Georgina Kincaid. If she so much as kisses Seth Mortensen, the shy, sexy, incredibly gifted Seattle writer she's been dating, she'll drain his life force. Georgina is a succubus--a demon who draws her power from other men's pleasure. Admittedly, the shapeshifting and immortality perks are terrific, and yes, Georgina did choose to join the ranks of hell centuries ago. But it seems completely unfair that a she-demon whose purpose is seduction can't get hot and heavy with the one mortal who knows and accepts her for who she is...

It's not just her personal life that's in chaos. Doug, Georgina's co-worker at a local bookstore, has been exhibiting bizarre behavior, and Georgina suspects that something far more demonic than double espressos is at work. She could use help finding out, but Bastien, an irresistibly charming incubus and her best immortal friend, is preoccupied with corrupting an ultra-conservative talk radio star--and giving Georgina some highly distracting come-hither vibes. Georgina is going to have to work solo on this one--and fast because soon, Doug's life won't be the only one on the line...

So today I managed to finish Richelle Mead's Succubus on Top and I really enjoyed it! I read Succubus Blues way back when so it took awhile for me to get back into the groove of things with Georgina, but for the most part I could remember this or that event.

One thing that I will say was that it took a little while for Georgina to realize there was a problem with Doug. So for a few chapters it was kind of the ordinary lifestyle for Georgina. Which wasn't all bad, there were definitely some laughs along the way. And things really get more interesting when Bastien flies into town and manages to finagle Georgina into helping him with a job that turns out to be a lot harder than he thought it would be.

Despite taking a break from reading on the weekend, this was rather a quick read. The plot moved along rather nicely once the problem(s) presented themselves. There was definitely a lot of romantic tension in this book, since Georgina and Seth can't engage in certain activities they try to work around it. Many times Georgina worries over their relationship thinking that Seth may eventually tire of things despite his easygoing manner.

I was surprised with this series at first because I know my mythology/lore rather well being a UF fan and all, so I knew succubus were demons who use sex to get what they want--soul/life essence--and yet there isn't a whole lot of sex in the book. Which you know that I don't care for a lot of heavy stuff. There is some in the book, but not as much as I would've thought from a series about a succubus. And I am really enjoying this series so far! I hope to read all the books this week! Among doing other things as well.

So my overall rating for this one is 4/5 stars. While I did really enjoy this one, like I mentioned earlier, the beginning was a little too slow, but the rest of the novel more than makes up for that! Now onto Succubus Dreams!

And I just noticed that on Amazon, Succubus on Top will be available in MMPB on July 26, 2011.

It's Monday! What are you Reading?


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? Is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.

Last Week I Read:
The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason




Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright


Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare


Currently Reading:

Succubus on Top by Richelle Mead


What I Plan to Read This Week:

Succubus Dreams by Richelle Mead


Succubus Heat by Richelle Mead


Succubus Shadows by Richelle Mead


Yup! I'm planning on a Succubus Week! Hopefully, at least!!

*Review--E-ARC Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton*

First there are nightmares.

Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.

Then come the memories.

When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie's memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.

Now she must hunt.

Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember. 

I received this E-ARC courtesy of NetGalley.
Courtney Allison Moulton's Angelfire was a GREAT read! I haven't read too many angel themed books, but this one was just awesome!!

Ellie really does seem like your typical teen, until her seventeenth birthday comes around and everything goes haywire, including the mysterious cute guy she's been seeing hanging around wherever she's at. She feels like she knows him and yet can understand where these feelings are coming from.

The action picks up rather quickly as the next day after meeting this strange guy, one of her teachers is brutally murdered. And that's when everything slowly falls apart in what was Ellie's average life.

She encounters a terrifying creature, one that she isn't even sure is real no less what it is, and then out of nowhere the mysterious Will appears and awakens her as the BOC describes and suddenly strange memories return to Ellie. Ones that she's not sure how she remembers, only that they are true, they are real.

Ellie has a destiny that will change everything she has ever known about herself and Will is apart of it. Yet, Will still hides secrets from her. Secrets that could be important to her remembering what it is she should be remembering.

Ellie was a wonderful character because I found her to really be more like a real teenager. She wasn't overly popular, or super-super smart, she was really just your average girl. She had great friends and parents who weren't exactly normal, in fact her family life leads me to wonder if there is something else going on that might entwine itself into future books. I just had this feeling, but it could be off.

There were some great little twists here and there too in the romance area, which really bespoke of high school romance in some ways, but it was done nicely. I mean it wasn't cheesy and I was LOLing out loud, it was done in a really good way so that you almost sympathize with Ellie.

This was truly a GREAT read. Wicked awesome! One of the best angel books I've read so far! And there were several little secrets and surprises along the way that made it a fast read that I could hardly put down! Looking forward to the next one, which may be awhile!

Overall I give the book 4.5/5 stars!

This title will be released February 15, 2011

Jan 30, 2011

Author Interview--Tracey O'Hara

Today I have a special guest here, Tracey O'Hara! a GREAT read is apart of her blog tour for her latest release in the Dark Brethern series, Death's Sweet Embrace! Death's Sweet Embrace is out now at bookstores and online websites! And it is a GREAT addition to the series. You can see my review here.

JESSICA: In your newest book, Death's Sweet Embrace, you bring in a new main character, what led you to go this route?

TRACEY: I spent 4 years with Antoinette and Christian. I felt we needed a little time apart. However, Antoinette had different ideas, hence her presence in the 2nd book. She is a strong, forceful character and just demands attention.

Having said that, I really wanted to tell Kitt’s story. She is a very different woman to Antoinette. For one, she is a snow leopard shapeshifting felian and has twin daughters. Her ex lover, Raven, is also really hot. I would love to write more on him.

JESSICA: Do you plan to have a new main character for every book?

TRACEY: I plan to have a different ones for each book, which may or may not be new. I am hoping to do another with Antoinette as the lead sometime. The next book, SIN’S DARK CARESS, is about magic featuring Bianca Sin, a witch, as the main character. I am really loving her.

JESSICA: How will the series go roughly, if you can say. Is there a connection to all the books?

TRACEY: There is a connection between the books, several characters make appearances as secondary characters and there is members Oberon’s Team at the centre of them all. I can’t say much about how the series will go. But each book will have a standalone story with continuing threads.

JESSICA: Will Antoinette be a main character again?

TRACEY: I hope so. I have a great second story in mind for her. With lots of surprises.

JESSICA: What made you decide to be a writer?

TRACEY: Fate. I stumbled across the joy it a few years back as a byproduct of doing some family history research. I have always been a reader and I guess a story teller in a way. Plus it’s cool that I can say I torture people for a living, but only on the page. :)

JESSICA: Do you write full-or part-time? Benefits and negatives of your choice?

TRACEY: I say I have a full-time day job and write full time. And there was little choice about it. Us struggling artists still have to eat and keep a roof over our families’ heads unfortunately. But hopefully one day I can go part time in the day job and I can write more books, and faster.

JESSICA: What are your favorite hobbies or pastimes you like to indulge in when you're not writing?

TRACEY: Movies. And TV series. I love watching action, sci fi, paranormal, and/or fantasy. If it happens to have all of that, even better. I even like the cheesy ones. They are my guilty pleasure. I don’t watch television much, I prefer to watch things on DVD when I have the time.

JESSICA: What book are you currently reading or last read?

TRACEY: I am currently reading I AM NUMBER FOUR by the fictitious Pitticus Lore. Although I have gotten to the middle and it has slowed down for me. I have a lot of books on my TBR pile including those of my HarperCollins release day buds, Joss Ware’s NIGHT BETRAYED and Jaime Rush’s BURNING DARKNESS. They look really awesome.

JESSICA: Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to answer my questions!

TRACEY: No problem! Thanks for having me!

In My Mailbox


In My Mailbox is a weekly blog post hosted by Kirsti over at The Story Siren and inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

So I was sort of disappointed that none of my bookstores had the 3 books that I wanted to get this week. 2 of them having been released on Tuesday too. Oh well, have to try again next week. But I didn't come out completely empty handed!

From NetGalley I received an E-ARC of Sable Grace's Ascension! This is a new UF novel and it looks totally awesome!!


Then I bought my first set of Kindle books, since the first one I received for free! I bought Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick!


Then I also got My Blood Approves by Amanda Hocking! And it only cost me .99 cents!!


And that's what I got this week! Hope to get a lot more next week since I couldn't find a lot of my Tuesday releases! So what did you get this week?

Jan 29, 2011

Top 5 Sundays


Top 5 Sundays is a weekly blog meme created by Larissa at Larissa's Bookish Life.

Here's a little info about the meme taken from Larissa's blog:

Every Sunday I will post a TOP 5 list on the blog. It can be about anything and every week I'll have a new theme {You can vote on next week’s theme on my left sidebar!} and I will ad the Mr.Linky bellow the post so you can do a list with the theme and add you link to it.

Rules:
1 - Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme I chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.
2 - Mention this Blog on the post and link back to it.
3 - Fell free to use the Feature's image (there is a smaller size version of it bellow)
4 - After you've finished your post, add you link (of the post, not your blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.
5 – If you don’t have a blog to post, just leave your list in the comments =)

This week's topic is: BOOKS YOU LOVED & WERE SURPRISED BY IT
This is actually an interesting topic choice! For there are been a few books that I read thinking that I might not like it and was blown away! So these won't be in any particular order!

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

I didn't really know what to expect from this series and may never had read it had I not won the first two books! Now I totally love this series!

Demons Not Included by Cheyenne McCray

I had thought this series might be a little too romancy for me. But I was pleasantly surprised by it. That there was actually more action than I originally thought!

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

I remember being skeptical about this series, but then luckily my friends from The Pride, Aly and Cem talked me into it! And boy am I glad I listened!!

Soulless by Gail Carriger

I wasn't sure what I was going to think of this series, especially since it didn't have a modern setting. But oh wow, was I taken away by Alexia's wit! And so much more of course!

Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead

I had thought that Richelle's Succubus series was going to have a lot of sex and what not in it, since Georgina is a succubus after all. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that this wasn't entirely a paranormal romance novel! Reading the second in the series now!

Cover Art--Gail Carriger

I was at Amazon this morning and I saw that they had a cover up for Gail Carriger's Heartless! Unfortunately it is rather small and hard to see, but it looks kind of cool! Alexia is sporting a different hair style, down actually--which for some reason I thought was "scandalous" for the time, unless it was another time, like I said I was bad at history!

Here is the BOC description:

Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines and Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant.

Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet? 

Heartless releases June 28, 2011

Jan 28, 2011

Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday


This blogger hop was created by Jennifer at Crazy for Books.

Here are the rules:
1. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List below (be sure to include how long you've been blogging and what genres you review!). If you post about the Hop on your blog, please link directly to your Hop post (don't forget to answer this week's question - see below!).
2. Visit other blogs in the Linky List! Make new friends! Follow new book bloggers! Talk about books! Rave about authors! (Please do not leave your link and not visit other blogs - it's just not cool and not in the spirit of the Hop!)
3. Post about the Hop on your blog! Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier!
4. In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!):
"What book are you most looking forward to seeing published in 2011? Why are you anticipating that book?"

Ooh tough one. Hmm...I guess at this point in the year, I would say I am really looking forward to Secrets and Shadows by Shannon Delany! Yes, yes I'm getting very enthusiastic about this series. And I really can't figure out why. Maybe I feel like I connect more with Jessie's character to where I saw myself at her age, instead of being a teen that is doing so many things. 

In terms of debut releases, I've already read a few that were good, the next debut I can't wait to read is C.C. Hunter's Born at Midnight. It sounded pretty interesting and already read a good review on it!

And just to have something not YA, an adult book I am dying to read is This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost. And do I really need to explain why? ;)




This is a weekly blog meme created by Parajunkee's View.

Here are the general rules to Follow Friday:
1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://annettesbookspot.blogspot.com/
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!
8. If your new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

This week's question: "What is/was your fave subject in school?"

I guess it's pretty easy to say that I enjoyed English a lot. Of course it got harder as the years went by and I was reading more things that didn't really hold my interest. But I did enjoy it enough to make it my major.


I also enjoyed the few mythology courses I took! Those were fun! I love Greek mythology and learning about other myths as well. They're so closely related to fairy tales and I love fairy tales as well.

Jan 27, 2011

Review--Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Angel was nothing like I expected. And I'm still not sure if that is a good thing or not. I had read good reviews about this book and decided to give it a try, but try as I might, I just couldn't seem to get fully into it. I continued reading, not wanting to totally give up on it, but it just didn't have the pizazz I was looking for.

The plot seemed interesting enough, Tessa going to London to find her brother but is instead kidnapped and learns quite a few things about the darker parts of London. That creep factor was interesting enough to get me intrigued and the secret society of Shadowhunters was even interesting, but still I just couldn't help but feel disconnected from the story. I don't believe it has anything to do with the time, 1878, for I've read a few other books set in the past and enjoyed them.

There was quite a bit of descriptive language, moreso than I am used to, so maybe that plays a part in my not liking it so much. The descriptions tended to take a little too long and detracted from what was going on.

There were definitely some good mystery parts. I mean I so didn't see any of them coming for I wasn't really looking for them. And the ending has quite a nasty cliffhanger and more than one problem left unresolved.

Despite my confliction on this book, I give it a 3/5 stars. Good, decent, but not totally great. I'm on the fence with this one. And depending on reviews for Clockwork Prince, I don't know if I will be continuing with this series.

Review--BuildASign


I was recently contacted by Melissa from BuildASign.com to do a product review for some of their products. Particularly their bumper stickers. While the website had lots of other functional signs to offer, I figured Bumper Stickers were a pretty good idea to help with promoting my blog, so I accepted her offer.

Since I'm your regular run of the mill blogger, I don't have my own designs or anything. I use Blogger templates, so I made 3 simple designed bumper stickers to match the colors of my blog. I even got some bumper magnets that turned out fantastic as well.




I particularly like how the one in the upper left corner turned out. I had a saved image of a writing notebook and I played around with the text and colors finding the right balance so that it matched my blog. And I love fleur de lis like design on the upper right one as well. And then the bottom one just looked really nice with my blog colors as well.

I think they are totally awesome. The magnets are of really good quality, nice and durable too. And the bumper stickers are great as well! I have quite a few of them, that in the future when I'm doing giveaways I'll be having them in there as well!

So if you're looking to promote your blog or another kind of website/business check out BuildASign.com and all the other products they offer!

Jan 26, 2011

Review--Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

The blacksmith would marry her.
The woodcutter would run away with her.
The werewolf would turn her into one of its own.

Valerie's sister was beautiful, kind, and sweet. Now she is dead. Henry, the handsome son of the blacksmith, tries to console Valerie, but her wild heart beats fast for another: the outcast woodcutter, Peter, who offers Valerie another life away from home.

After her sister's violent death, Valerie's world begins to spiral out of control. For generations, the Wolf has been kept at bay with a monthly sacrifice. But now no one is safe. When an expert Wolf hunter arrives, the villagers learn that the creature lives among them--it could be anyone in town.

It soon becomes clear that Valerie is the only one who can hear the voice of the creature. The Wolf says she must surrender herself before the blood moon wanes...or everyone she loves will die.

So I've been more than curious about the new movie Red Riding Hood, since the wolf is obviously a werewolf and there's going to be some sort of romance with Red...or Valerie as the case may be, so I decided to read the book Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright. And it was pretty interesting.

I'll admit what grabbed at my heart right away was when Valerie saw that Peter, her friend from 10 years ago returns to her town to help with the fieldwork or whatever. She feels immediately drawn to him as well, although she can't be sure if he remembers her right away. And having had more friends than I care to count who have moved away, I would love to be able to see them again and reconnect. So I envied Valerie for her chance.

Naturally there is another dreaded love triangle going on here with the blacksmith and Peter. And I was naturally more drawn to Peter, perhaps the allure of connecting with an old friend is what really softened me towards him. Yet I did feel for the blacksmith as well.

The pacing was a little slow, I mean from the BOC description we know Valerie's sister dies by the Wolf, but that doesn't occur right away. It's several pages in, won't say the exact count, but it was awhile. So for the meantime all we get to see is town life and then Valerie's interactions with Peter and the love trouble that comes from being betrothed to Henry, the blacksmith.

When the murder does occur, it's really the beginning of all the trouble the town will see. The Wolf hunter comes to town and is dead set on finding the beast and killing it, by any means necessary.

Trying to figure out who the werewolf was, was a little more challenging than I thought. I made an easy guess but then dismissed it because of its easiness and started making other guesses based on the characters' actions. And it was surprising and yet not as much when the identity was revealed.

One thing that bugged me about something that happened towards the end, was that it was just a little too cheesy for me. I mean if this part is in the movies, this is when I'll be rolling my eyes. It was little to sap-happy in it's wrapping things up. But that wasn't all...

What's really the clincher? Is that the book ends with a somewhat unsettled feeling. Not quite a cliffhanger, but still wondering what the heck is going to happen next. And wondering if this is the path that the movie plans to take as well. Is this another Twilight thing we have going on? Who's to really say. But at the back of the book is a note questioning whether Valerie's story is really over and to go to the website to find out. When I went to said website, I found a countdown (now on my sidebar) with 43 days to go til the final chapter will be posted!

Needless to say I was a little miffed. Here I thought I would get to see the conclusion to get some sort of HEA feeling, or at least a more stable The End. But no. There's another wait. And really, Inigio says it best, "I hate waiting."

My overall score is a 4/5. I did enjoy it rather well. And because I've only seen the preview like 2 times I haven't developed those actors as the characters into my mind, except for Amanda (Valerie), so I was able to have my own cast there.

Waiting on Wednesday


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blog post by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights releases we're eagerly awaiting.

My next release I'm eager to read is Melissa Marr's Darkest Mercy, the final book in her Wicked Lovely series. It's been a crazy series so far and I'm interested to see where this one ends!


The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.

Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.

Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose everything.

The thrilling conclusion to Melissa Marr's New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series will leave readers breathless. 

TITLE: Darkest Mercy
AUTHOR: Melissa Marr
GENRE:
YA Paranormal
RELEASE DATE:
February 22, 2011

Jan 25, 2011

Review--The Unfinished Song: Initiate by Tara Maya

DEADLY INITIATION

A DETERMINED GIRL...

Dindi can't do anything right, maybe because she spends more time dancing with pixies than doing her chores. Her clan hopes to marry her off and settle her down, but she dreams of becoming a Tavaedi, one of the powerful warrior-dancers whose secret magics are revealed only to those who pass a mysterious Test during the Initiation ceremony. The problem? No-one in Dindi's clan has ever passed the Test. Her grandmother died trying. But Dindi has a plan.

AN EXILED WARRIOR...

Kavio is the most powerful warrior-dancer in Faearth, but when he is exiled from the tribehold for a crime he didn't commit, he decides to shed his old life. If roving cannibals and hexers don't kill him first, this is his chance to escape the shadow of his father's wars and his mother's curse. But when he rescues a young Initiate girl, he finds himself drawn into as deadly a plot as any he left behind. He must decide whether to walk away or fight for her... assuming she would even accept the help of an exile. 

I received this e-Book from the author for a review.
Tara Maya's The Unfinished Song: Initiate was an interesting read, and a very quick one too. I will admit to being a little confused in the beginning, as is general for me when starting a fantasy series. There's a whole new world to adjust to, I'm basically learning from the ground up so it takes awhile for the story to flow for me almost regardless unless I'm returning to a world I already know.

This one was interesting and still a little confusing. There is magic involved and it's connected to dancing, and if you don't past this particular test to be able to dance with a powerful group, then you can no longer dance ever again. Yeah, a little complicated in some ways. Dindi, loves to dance. It's what she yearns most to do. And she also can see the fae, which becomes a serious problem for her.

The story was rather quick in that we get a glimpse of Dindi's life and then she is immediately sent off as an Initiate to take her test with dozens of other children her age, 14 or so, from different clans. But there is still trouble afoot and it's pretty messy. There was a lot going on in the short pages and the p.o.v. changed quite a bit. It was generally third person from multiple points of view, but it became hard for me to know who to sympathize with, mainly with one or two characters because their actions were somewhat misleading.

There wasn't really any romance in this one due to its length, but there is definitely the hint at a budding romance between Dindi and Kavio, the exiled one. There is some sort of connection brewing between these two and they have only just met for a moment. So I expect there will be more to see in the future.

Overall it wasn't a bad read, just not my kind of read. A little too heavy on the fantasy for me. But Dindi was a very relatable character, being the "awkward" one. She had her own mind and other girls thought her strange, but she ignored them. So my rating is a 3/5, not because it was bad or super great, it just wasn't my kind of book. I feel conflicted on how to rate books when it turns out this way, but it wasn't horrible. If you like high fantasy type of [YA] books this might be the one for you.

Review--E-ARC The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason

Regency London – a dizzying whirl of balls and young ladies pursued by charming men.

But the Woodmore sisters are hunted by a more sinister breed: Lucifer's own.

Voss, also known as Viscount Dewhurst, relishes the sensual pleasures immortality affords. A member the Dracule – a cabal of powerful, secretive noblemen marked with a talisman that reveals their bartered souls – the mercenary Voss has remained carefully neutral ... until Angelica.

Angelica Woodmore possess the Sight, an ability invaluable to both sides of a looming war among the Dracule. Her very scent envelops Voss in a scarlet fog of hunger – for her body and her blood. But he is utterly unprepared for the new desire that overcomes him – to protect her.

Now Voss must battle his very nature to be with Angelica ... but this vampire never backs down from a fight.

I received this E-ARC from NetGalley.
When I heard about Colleen Gleason's new historical paranormal romance series, I was excited and couldn't wait! The Vampire Voss is different than her Gardella Vampire Chronicles, but still has the same kind of feel to it in some respects.

The vampire rules are about the same, but there might be a detail or two that are different. I will admit, that in the beginning I was a little lost, there was a lot of names floating around, some who were present and others who weren't, so it took me a couple of pages to get caught up. Eventually things do simmer down to just a few names.

This series definitely has some potential. Angelica has a special talent, a morbid one really, in that when she touches a person's personal item, she can see when they will die. And many people are curious about her talent and wish to use her for their own purposes. Including the vampires.

Told in multiple third person point of view, sort of makes things a little hectic because it's hard to tell whose mind we're in at first, but it becomes apparent soon enough.

The storyline was fairly decent. I still favor the Gardella Vampire Chronicles more, but this one wasn't too bad. Vampire hunting isn't the main storyline, so there's a fresh change there. And there's quite a few steamy romance scenes with varying levels of "steam".

All in good fun, and the next two novels will star other characters that we meet in this book as well, so I will be curious to read their stories as well. Overall I give it a 3.5/5 stars. A very nice read, I would've scored it a little higher had all the name dropping not confused me so early on.

RELEASE DAY!



Today is the release day for Tracey O'Hara's Death's Sweet Embrace, the second in her Dark Brethren series! It was a GREAT read, albeit different than Night's Cold Kiss which was surprising at first, but I soon became immersed within the new characters' stories!

Check out my review here

And be sure to stop back on January 30, when Tracey will be by to answer some questions. And she has a contest going on over at Supernatural Underground that will involve all the blogs she visiting. Click here for details.

Teaser Tuesday


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly blog post by MizB over at Should Be Reading.

This week my teaser comes from Colleen Gleason's newest series, The Regency Draculia! She also wrote the Gardella Vampire Chronicles and writes under Joss Ware for The Envy Chronicles. I received an E-ARC of the first book, The Vampire Voss. So far it's interesting, although I am literally just starting it, when I found the perfect teaser!

Here are the rules:
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

"A cracked or damaged soul meant that he could live forever and never face the judgment of God. He could do what he wanted, when he wanted. He had access to resources beyond imagination: power, wealth, even knowledge. He no one to answer to but Lucifer, and only if the devilever called him to true service.


Unless, of course, he met a stake through his heart or someone sliced off his head." p 31 (page comes from my E-ARC. Quote and page number are not final)







TITLE: The Vampire Voss
AUTHOR: Colleen Gleason
GENRE:
Historical Paranormal Romance
RELEASE DATE:
March 22, 2011

Jan 24, 2011

It's Monday! What are you Reading?

 
It's Monday! What Are You Reading? Is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.

Last Week I read:

Hexbound by Chloe Neill


Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning


If Walls Could Talk by Juliet Blackwell


Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick


Currently Reading:

The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason



What I Plan to Read this Week:

The Unfinished Song by Tara Maya


Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright


Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare


Jan 23, 2011

In My Mailbox


In My Mailbox is a weekly blog post hosted by Kirsti over at The Story Siren and inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

Did pretty good this week!! To start the week off I bought my copy of Shadowfever and devoured it pretty much first thing this week!
Here's my review


Then I got Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright. I'm excited for the movie despite it having the Twilight director on board and an opposite Twilight feel to it. Like I said before I read another book years ago that had a similar basis with Red and the wolf being a werewolf and falling in love.



Then I received my SIGNED copy of Spy Glass by Maria V Snyder that I won in a contest at Bitten By Books a few months ago! Was so excited since Maria is one of my fave authors! And it was SIGNED!!




 Then from NetGalley, I received an E-ARC of Colleen Gleason's The Vampire Voss!



Then I received the Kindle edition of Tara Maya's The Unfinished Song, from Tara herself! Thanks Tara! I look forward to reading it!!



And this isn't a book, but still totally awesome and I had to buy it, because I could see one of my novels' characters wearing it, so I HAD to have it.


It's a little charm with a skeleton in the coffin that is to represent that Day of the Dead. And the back heart next to it, just accents it nicely! I don't know why I was so taken with this, but I just was! I bought it at an Etsy shop named Cemetery Cat Designs. She also does some Vampire Academy jewelry as well. I've bought 2 bracelets from that collection. And she does some Sabina Kane ones as well!

And that was my fabulous mailbox this week. What did you get?